L-Citrulline mediated relaxation in the control and lipopolysaccharide-treated rat aortic rings

The present study was undertaken to investigate relaxant effect of L-citrulline in phenylephrine precontracted endothelium intact thoracic aortic rings obtained from control or lipopolysaccharide (1 mg/kg)-treated rats. L-Citrulline produced 40 +/- 3% (n = 36) and 60 +/- 5% (n = 24) relaxations in control and lipopolysaccharide-treated rings, respectively. Nitric oxide (NO) release and cyclic guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate levels from the rings were also increased following treatment with L-Citrulline. Inhibition of guanylate cyclase, L-citrulline recycling to L-arginine or denudation of the endothelium, significantly reduced L-citrulline-induced relaxations both in control and lipopolysaccharide-treated rings. Treatment of rings with protein synthesis inhibitors prevented relaxations to L-citrulline. Inhibitor of Ca2+-activated K+ channels, tetrabutylammonium or precontraction of the rings with KCl (80 mM), significantly attenuated L-citrulline mediated relaxations in control and lipopolysaccharide-treated rings. Thus, L-citrulline seems to exert significant relaxation by supplementing the release of NO due to its recycling to L-arginine, which gets further augmented after lipopolysaccharide treatment. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.